Calif. Kidnapped Girl Helped Save Self

RACHEL KONRADJune 11, 2003

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ The 9-year-old girl abducted from home helped win her release by telling her kidnapper she was sick _ and then helped authorities make a quick arrest by memorizing his cell phone number, police said.

New details of the girl’s two-day captivity emerged Wednesday as prosecutors pressed their case against the alleged abductor, who awaited arraignment on charges including rape, sexual assault and burglary.

Enrique Sosa Alvarez, 23, awaited assignment of a lawyer. He has declined requests for comment, a jail spokesman said.

Authorities marveled at moves the girl made to save herself after being kidnapped as she returned home from school Friday. They said she kept her head as she talked to her abductor, telling him she was ailing.

``It’s as if she established some type of relationship with him so that he saw her as a person,″ Deputy Chief Rob Davis said. ``To the extent that you can humanize yourself, you can create an opportunity to escape.″

Authorities said that between the girl’s efforts and intense media coverage of her abduction, Alvarez became rattled Sunday night and drove the girl to a convenience store several cities away and ``basically told her to get out of the car,″ prosecutor Matt Braker said.

Within hours, the girl had supplied authorities with enough key details to help police pinpoint his location. Among the pieces that police believe helped solve the abduction: the girl memorized his cell phone number and also related the delivery of a pizza to the home she was allegedly held.

Citing an interview with the girl’s aunt, the San Jose Mercury News reported Wednesday that the girl overheard the abductor talking about killing her. ``She went crazy and thought, `Oh, my God! I have to find a way out,‴ Sylvia Tamayo told the paper.

The paper also reported that the girl was tied up in a small cardboard box at the house where Alvarez was arrested Monday. Police disputed that report.

The girl’s teenage brother, Pablo Tamayo, who was attacked when he tried to stop the abduction, said Wednesday that his sister was feeling sick but was recovering.

``She’s doing OK, she’s sad, but she’s OK right now,″ he said on NBC’s ``Today″ show. ``She’s very happy to be back home.″